Custom Aliens

This page details how to construct your own alien species. Custom species must be given an appearance and a backstory, and must be submitted to the GM for approval prior to character creation. Custom species are not as strong as the main alien species of the galaxy, and come with more cons and fewer pros.

The way it works is basically thus: Subtract X points of "Cons". Then, add enough Pros to bring the total to somewhere between Y and Z. You are limited to up to 5 separate Pros and 5 separate Cons (not counting +1s and -1s to stats/skills).

Absurdly strong species - invaders or the like: 70 to 90 points of cons, 10 to -10 total
Normal species: 80 to 100 points of cons, -10 to -30 total
Weaker species: 90 to 110 points of cons, -30 to -50 total

It should be noted: Creating a custom alien does not give a player any sort of advantage. They are weaker than humans and the other species, can't use human stims, drugs, or medical salves/sprays, and have fewer bonuses than the "normal" alien species. Custom alien species are considered even more of a minority in the galaxy, and are treated as outsiders and unknowns by most.

Cons

Name Point cost Description -1 to stat/skill free SPECIAL: Up to three separate stats/skills can have a -1 applied. You cannot apply this to a skill or stat you're also going to give a +1 to, and you must take as many negatives as you take positives. If the GM suspects you're using this to dump stats, the GM is entitled to do a random roll to randomize which negatives you receive. Can't use human guns: -35 For one reason or another, they can't use human guns. Each gun they have has to be custom-made for their species, costing a non-refundable 1000 creds Can't swing melee weapons: -35 Arms simply aren't strong enough to deal melee damage to any effect. Lumbering -35 Has disadvantage on dodge rolls. Poor vocal ability -35 Cannot vocally communicate with other species. They can still understand the languages of those around them, however, if they know those languages. Pain intolerant -35 An extremely low pain tolerance means you do a 1d6+2 roll prior to any normal endurance roll. Less than a 5 means an instant fail. Can't be paired with Wimpy. Concussion-prone -30 Anything hitting their head, or rapid acceleration/deceleration, or high-G maneuvers cause them to instantly lose consciousness. Weak-minded -30 Has disadvantage when under attack from a PSI user. Additionally, persuasion against them has an additional 1d6 chance (roll 1) to succeed. Can't wear belts -25 Takes away ability to purchase/use belt slot items Can't wear suits -25 Takes away ability to use/purchase suit slot items Can't wear helmets -25 Takes away ability to use/purchase helmet slot items Can't climb -25 The species cannot climb. No unarmed combat -25 Can only fight using weaponry. No bare-fisted attacks, no biting, clawing, or tail-whipping. Gentle fingers -25 Their fingers are so weak that anything finger-related that doesn't normally involve rolls will roll Strength. Group-dependent -25 Disadvantage on rolls if in a group with fewer than three total people. Unusual lungs -25 Requires a special gaseous mixture in order to survive, and will die without it. Must always wear a facemask or a spacesuit. Cowardly -25 Has disadvantage on willpower rolls. Slow learner -25 They have a shifty limbic system and poor memories. It gives them disadvantage on all general knowledge rolls. Weak arms -20 Extra -2 penalty to rolls that applies only to lifting objects weighing 10 pounds or more. Weakness to <element> -20 (fire/electricity/acid) - Any amount of damage that would normally badly harm a human will outright kill the creature. Amounts that would normally lightly wound a human will cause great harm. Stubby limbs -20 Cannot dodge during or the layer immediately after executing an attack. Lightweight -20 All blunt melee blows from heavier enemies (weapon or not) knock them off their feet and stun them for three layers Delicate flesh -20 All human medicine, even bandages, hurts them. Short-sighted -20 Can't see past a few dozen meters. Everything beyond that is a blur. Can't swim -20 Sinks immediately and cannot swim. Flails underwater until they drown. Can be pulled out by others. Gravity-weak -20 Must wear a special gravity belt under earth gravity. If the lifebelt breaks or is removed while they're under 1 or more Gs, the character collapses to the ground and can only move by crawling, no more than 10 meters per turn. Easily sick -20 Often gets sick if confronted with alien diseases. If sick, then each turn, if they roll a 1 on a 1d6, they receive a -1 penalty to their rolls. Can be treated back at base for 1000 creds, or the character can wait until the next mission, when it will go away. Night-blind -20 Dim lighting - anything less than a well-lit room - counts as complete darkness to them. They require use of a flashlight to see, and then can only see what is directly lit. Stealthed creatures in the shadows have advantage against them. Easily distracted -20 Multitasking rolls (run while firing, dual wielding, etc) have disadvantage. Can't run -20 Simply cannot run. Whether tentacles, slime, or feet, their body simply isn't made for it. Ground-rooted -20 While they can climb ladders or stairs, they can't jump. At all. Can't climb over anything either. They simply aren't built in a way that allows it. Wimpy -20 Has disadvantage on endurance rolls. Can't be paired with Pain Intolerant. Cannot sneak -20 Has no ability to sneak or be stealthy, even if they are watching others sneak and be stealthy and trying to copy them. Perhaps their locomotion is too noisy, or they are, or they glow in the dark, but it cannot be gotten around. If they are near any ally is stealthed, that ally loses their stealth status. Clumsy under fire -20 Does an extra 1d6 roll prior to dodging. Rolling a 1 or 2 immediately causes the dodge to fail. Light cover can reduce the penalty to a 1 only, while full cover removes this penalty entirely. Inexplicably ugly -20 When talking to anyone that has seen you before, you have a -1 penalty on all charisma rolls with them. Extra set of legs -15 Really just more chance of getting shot in the legs and crippled. Rolls an extra 1d6 each time they get shot to see if it hits their legs, prior to the normal hit dice. Additionally, doing things like crawling or jumping over countertops in areas with normal ceilings is probably impossible. Very short -15 Can't reach things above their heads. Some objects can't be climbed over. Half cover requires a roll (or two) to climb over. UV hypersensitivity -15 Ultraviolet light causes the species to feel an agonizing burning sensation upon entering sunlight without a suit. Suffers a pain endurance roll, but is not stunned. Delicate lungs -15 Thick dust or smoke particles cause them to be stunned for three layers. Continued exposure may cause them to need an endurance roll. <Temperature> averse -15 Cold/warm temperatures cause their actions to take twice as many layers Picky eater -15 Can't eat just anything: must have something very specific to survive. Sensitive eyesight -15 Suffers a pain endurance roll and is stunned for a layer on getting hit with bright, unexpected light sources. Blind for twice as long as normal creatures by flashbang grenades and the like. Delicate hearing -15 Suffers a pain endurance roll and is stunned for a layer on hearing loud, unexpected sounds Sensitive nose -15 Whenever very strong smells are present, they do a (1d6+endurance) roll each turn to see if it affects them. If it does, they have -1 to all actions that turn. May be avoided by using a helmet. Emotionally stunted -15 Can't really relate to people with emotions. They have disadvantage on charisma rolls in emotional situations. Immobile head -15 Looking at someone or something in combat requires an extra layer to switch from one thing to the next Easily tired -15 Heavy exertion (moving heavy objects or sprinting) two turns in a row makes them have to sit entirely still on the third turn while they catch their breath. Monocular vision -15 Eyes are set on the side of a head. Rolls 1d6 on perception checks with less than 5 being an instant fail. However, rolls against stealth have a 1d6+2 chance of being treated as though the character is facing in the enemy's direction. Slow arms -15 Switching weapons or items takes two layers instead of one. Frequent sleeper -15 Not having taken a catnap in the past 30 minutes causes them to feel exhausted, and they have a -1 penalty on all rolls. Catnaps take only one turn, and they wake up prior to any enemy taking an action against them. Always hungry -15 Not having eaten anything in the past 30 minutes causes them to have a -1 penalty on all rolls. Easily countered by having them bring along snacks. Always thirsty -15 If not in a significantly moist environment or immobile, they must drink at least once every thirty minutes to avoid an extra -1 penalty to all rolls. Fairly easy to counter by bringing along a water bottle or two. Poor light processing -15 Has trouble reading from lit screens and holograms. Strong body odor -15 You take a -1 penalty to charisma rolls with people not of your species if in the same room with them and they can smell you. Sluggish processing -15 The creature has disadvantage on all out-of-combat rolls involving intuition.

Pros

Name Point cost Description +1 to stat/skill free SPECIAL: Up to three separate stats/skills can have a +1 applied. You cannot apply this to a skill or stat you're also going to give a -1 to, and you must take a -1 for every +1 you take. Extra pair of usable limbs +50 An extra pair of fully-functional limbs. The creature gets its dual-wielding penalties halved: dual wielding only gives dual-wield penalties if doing three or more actions with their arms at once. Perfect flight +50 Possesses both arms and wings, and can fly as well as a bird. They can fly and fire weapons at the same time. Can't fly in places with ceilings lower than two stories. Doesn't pair with Imperfect Flight or Guiding Wings. Lone wolf +35 The species is more comfortable when not in a group. When no other team members are nearby, they receive a +1 bonus to their rolls. Powerful linguist +35 The species is extremely social and learns languages with such rapidity that they often have a good "feel" of what someone is saying, even if they can't understand. They can learn languages quickly as long as they have a month-long rest where a bilingual individual is willing to sit down with them and teach them. PSI resistance +35 Cannot be unwillingly mind-controlled or mind-affected in any way, except by particularly powerful creatures such as bosses. Intuitive reflexes +35 The creature has powerful intuition and reflexes, granting them advantage on all dodge rolls - provided their legs are not injured. Brightly bioluminescent +35 At will, the creature can bioluminesce brightly enough for allies to be able to see up to 10 meters in complete darkness, with an additional 10 meters of dim light. Courageous +35 Whether it's part of their biology or their culture, members of the species have advantage on willpower saves. Tough +35 The species is good at tolerating pain, and has advantage on endurance rolls. Can climb vertical surfaces +30 Suckered feet, hands, or other bodyparts permit them to scale vertical surfaces with ease. Imperfect flight +30 Both of the creature's arms are used as wings. They can fly, but can't do anything else while they fly. Can't fly in places with ceilings lower than two stories. Doesn't pair with Perfect Flight or Guiding Wings. Acid spit +30 The creature can spit acid at enemies at a range of up to five meters. The enemy can use maneuverability to defend. If successful, the enemy's skin starts to melt and they must do an endurance roll with a penalty equivalent to a burn. Extra pair of carry-only limbs +25 The species has an extra pair of clumsy, weak limbs good for little except carrying things. Hand feet +25 The creature can use its feet as hands, and can hang by its tail for a short period of time. In some instances this has been used to let them quad-wield pistols - although not without significant accuracy penalties. Fast learner +25 A great brain means they have advantage on general knowledge rolls. No legs +25 Essentially, cannot be crippled. Their body is flexible enough for one reason or another that they don't need legs to be on par with humans in terms of agility. Team player +25 The species is more comfortable in a group. When in a group of four or more individuals, they receive a +1 bonus to all their rolls. Meditative healing +25 The creature's superior command of their bodily functions permits them to meditate for half a turn to heal minor wounds. They are allowed to do up to five actions total (attacks included), and may not use half or more of their attacks. The more actions they take, the more layers their meditation lasts. Extravision +25 The creature can see well in the darkness. Requires eyes to be unharmed and functional. Rapid-clotting blood +25 Blood clots quickly enough to form a seal within a turn of taking bleeding damage. Boneless +25 The creature cannot suffer from broken bones. They have increased resistance (equivalent to a layer of armor) to fall damage and blunt damage, but are equally weaker to cutting damage. They can slip through any opening large enough for a cat. Battle fury +25 The species can enter a state of adrenaline-fueled rage when they're wounded, giving them a 1d6+1 (50%) chance of shrugging off each non-critical wound as superficial. Menacing roar +25 The creature can do a roar that gives willpower rolls to all enemies in the vicinity, of the larger of (2d6+PSI). If the outcome is less than 3, the enemy immediately panics. Can regenerate limbs +25 Limbs will slowly regenerate, meaning they don't need to be bought. This takes a full month of off-mission time. Gliding wings +20 The creature has wings that it can glide on, preventing fall damage if they fall two stories or more. Doesn't pair with Perfect- or Imperfect Flight. Claws +20 The creature has sharp claws which can be used similarly to kicking/punching. The claws break skin for bleeding damage and can mutilate and disable limbs on epic rolls. Creature cannot be holding two-handed weapons or dual wielding. Crushing strength +20 Can crush things in one pair of hands with incredible force. Gives +2 to rolls of that variety and permits feats such as crushing bones or heads. Goring horns +20 Horns can be used similarly to kick/punch and can break skin for piercing damage. Gets a -1 penalty if not taking at the end of a movement action, and a +1 bonus if it is. Sharp teeth +20 Teeth are exceptionally sharp, and can be used similarly to kick/punch, breaking skin for bleeding damage. An epic roll can rip out chunks of flesh, forcing disadvantage on the foe's endurance roll. Powerful Kick/Punch +20 Punch/Kick gets a +2 bonus to strength rolls if used against inanimate objects, or a +1 bonus to attacks used against an enemy. Great lifter +20 Extra +2 bonus to rolls where the creature is lifting objects Thermal vision +20 The creature can see in infrared. Does not work through transparent obstructions. Must have functioning eyes. Resistance to <element> +20 (fire/electricity/acid) - Amounts of the specified elemental damage that would harm (but not kill) a human is taken in stride. Amounts that would be fatal to a human will only harm them. Large +20 Does not take knockback and cannot be knocked over by other creatures. Gives a +2 bonus to strength that applies to determining whether a weapon can be wielded, permitting them to wield weapons most species would have trouble lifting. Sneaky +20 The creature is incredibly sneaky by default. They have advantage on all sneak rolls. Silent communication +20 Can silently communicate with other members of their species, similar to telepathy - but not actually telepathy, because that's impossible. Members of other species may be able to learn to read these signals through the use of a General Knowledge roll. Extra language +20 The species is particularly attuned to being bilingual. Each adult individual has the option of knowing a second language, learned prior to the start of play. Nimble +20 The creature has advantage on all maneuverability-only rolls. Excellent sprinter +20 Their body is agile and built for sprinting, and as a result, they cannot fail sprint rolls, letting them cover twice the distance of a normal species in the same amount of time. Natural armor +20 Their skin may be thick, or it may have natural armor plating. Whatever the case, their skin is the equivalent of light armor. Shell defense +20 The creature sports a large shell they can hide under, behind, or retract into. All attacks that would hit their shell (if weaker than a ship weapon) roll 1d6+2 to completely deflect the damage. Getting in and out of the shell takes one layer, during which they are completely vulnerable if out of full cover. Ship attacks ignore the shell entirely. Low metabolism +15 They barely ever need to eat because of their incredibly low metabolism. A mostly roleplaying-oriented ability. Doesn't need water +15 They barely ever need to drink because they store water like a camel. A mostly roleplaying-oriented ability. Venomous attack +15 Applied to teeth or claws (if available). Causes an endurance roll on the enemy for pain. A critically failed endurance roll will cause the enemy to fall unconscious. Tall +15 The creature stands closer to three meters than two. It can reach things most people wouldn't be able to, jump higher, catch higher, etc. also has an extra 1d6 chance to dodge melee attacks from an enemy they recently attacked. Surprise attack +15 Powerful muscles and fast reflexes mean that when the creature is in a non-hostile situation, they can make a non-weapon attack so quickly that it can't be dodged. Excellent hearing +15 The creature's hearing is so good that it can hear things most species can't. Excellent nose +15 The creature's sense of smell is so good that it can smell things most species can't. 360 vision +15 The creature has extra eyes on the back of their head, making it difficult to sneak around them because they see everything. Rolls against stealth have a 1d6+2 chance of being treated as though the character is facing in the enemy's direction. While they can wear normal helmets (unless otherwise specified), these helmets will disrupt this ability. Far-seeing +15 Their powerful telescoping eyes permit them to see details of things that are miles away - just like they were standing directly next to them. Spatial intuition +15 The creature has advanced spacial intuition, granting them a +1 on all in-ship rolls for maneuverability-only and melee. Microscopic vision +15 Microscopic vision: Strong telescoping lenses in their frontal eyes permit them to quite easily perceive details a human couldn't possibly - but not on an atomic or molecular scale, of course. Non-picky eater +15 A powerful digestive system permits them to eat anything that is organic - and many things that aren't. Low oxygen requirements +15 Low quantities of oxygen that might impair or harm humans is taken in stride. Gravity resistance +15 Higher gravity that might impair or harm humans is taken in stride. Savage attacks +15 Non-epic successful melee attacks have a 1d6 chance (of 5/6) of turning the attack to epic level Water breathing +15 The creature can breathe underwater indefinitely by either gills or other special organs, without needing special apparatus Reflective skin +15 Their skin is shiny, and lasers have a 1d6 chance of reflecting without causing damage. Doesn't work if the creature is wearing a suit. Hyperdextrous fingers +15 The creature's fingers can bend in unusual directions and they have excellent hand-eye coordination. Any non-combat rolls involving usage of their fingers gains a +1 bonus. Good as cover +10 Allies (and enemies) can hide behind the creature and take benefit of cover rolls. The creature in question, however, may take damage instead and does its own roll to determine if it dodges as well. Suckered hands +10 The creature's hands and fingers are covered in tiny spikes, hooks, and suckers. Together, they make it so the creature cannot drop anything by accident - or have it pulled from them by force. <Temperature> resistance +10 (Heat/Cold) temperatures that might impair or harm humans is taken in stride. Inexplicably cute +10 The creature's species is so adorable that soft-hearted individuals immediately take a liking to them, granting a +1 bonus to charisma rolls with these people. Long lifespan +10 The species can naturally live up to a third of a millennium. Purely for roleplay, for obvious reasons. Natural beauty +10 Other species find this species attractive. The creature gains a +1 to charisma rolls if trying to be persuasive to an ally. Only applies to direct line of sight.